Facebook posts disputing Bucha massacre outperform verified sources and information

Facebook posts disputing the events surrounding the massacre in Bucha, a suburb in the city of Kyiv, were shared 208,000 times in the week of 6 April, versus the 172,000 shares of posts not questioning verified information, according to a study by ISD. These posts concernedly were authored within the EU and were sometimes shared three times more that posts that didn’t question the veracity of the reported deaths.

In an interview with The Guardian, ISD analyst Francesca Visser said: “The findings show us that the challenges in confronting pro-Kremlin narratives and disinformation emanate from a wider set of actors than just Russian state media.

“Despite the efforts of independent factcheckers and journalists on the ground who debunked many of the false narratives spread by sources tied to the Russian state, these narratives managed to gain traction among a wide audience.

“It’s concerning that in the aftermath of the massacre, the most shared posts on Facebook are those casting doubt on the veracity of the images. It’s also concerning that posts coming from platforms and bloggers known for spreading false and misleading narratives are outperforming verified information.”